Millions of people will spend the Fourth of July weekend on the water and first responders want to make sure they’re doing it safely. On Friday, Cocoa Beach was packed with families and friends enjoying the three-day holiday weekend. But bigger crowds can mean more distractions — both on land and on the waterways. “I’ve seen everything from motor injuries causing big lacerations and cuts to even worse injuries and strangulations from ropes,” Dr. Richard Harrison said. “There are lots of dangers out there. Lots of great ways that we can enjoy a safe holiday and have a lot of fun celebrating.”Dr. Harrison is an orthopedic surgeon at Orlando Health in Melbourne. He’ll be on shift this weekend and says boating accidents and drownings are a major concern. “Along our coast, we always have to worry about rip currents,” Harrison said. “Remember, if you’re ever caught in a rip current, swim parallel to the beach and you’ll end up getting out of it instead of trying to fight it.”The other concern with higher temperatures is dehydration. Taking breaks in air conditioning and drinking water and electrolytes are good ways to stay cool. If you aren’t feeling well and begin sweating excessively or feeling nauseous or dizzy, you could be experiencing heat exhaustion. If you stop sweating and continue to feel sick or even pass out, you could be having heat stroke and should call 911.
Millions of people will spend the Fourth of July weekend on the water and first responders want to make sure they’re doing it safely.
On Friday, Cocoa Beach was packed with families and friends enjoying the three-day holiday weekend. But bigger crowds can mean more distractions — both on land and on the waterways.
“I’ve seen everything from motor injuries causing big lacerations and cuts to even worse injuries and strangulations from ropes,” Dr. Richard Harrison said. “There are lots of dangers out there. Lots of great ways that we can enjoy a safe holiday and have a lot of fun celebrating.”
Dr. Harrison is an orthopedic surgeon at Orlando Health in Melbourne. He’ll be on shift this weekend and says boating accidents and drownings are a major concern.
“Along our coast, we always have to worry about rip currents,” Harrison said. “Remember, if you’re ever caught in a rip current, swim parallel to the beach and you’ll end up getting out of it instead of trying to fight it.”
The other concern with higher temperatures is dehydration.
Taking breaks in air conditioning and drinking water and electrolytes are good ways to stay cool.
If you aren’t feeling well and begin sweating excessively or feeling nauseous or dizzy, you could be experiencing heat exhaustion. If you stop sweating and continue to feel sick or even pass out, you could be having heat stroke and should call 911.